


The Blue Book

by QueenSchnee



Category: Toriko (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Demon AU, Drabble Collection, M/M, Slow Build, Slow Burn, zatch bell au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-08-13
Updated: 2015-09-27
Packaged: 2018-04-14 11:03:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,839
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4562103
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/QueenSchnee/pseuds/QueenSchnee
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Komatsu was happy working as the head chef for the Hotel Gourmet- honestly. All he needed was the satisfaction of making delicious food for his customers. What he didn't need was a seven foot tall man- calling himself a demon- showing up in his life with a little blue book and dragging him into a fight to determine the King of the Demon World (Zatch Bell AU)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [latenightiridescence](https://archiveofourown.org/users/latenightiridescence/gifts).



> even though I only know one other person who's read both toriko and zatch bell/gash bell, I still wanted to do a crossover of sorts. So I said fuck it and decided to write it anyways. Granted, I only have a few ideas for what I want to do so this whole thing'll be more of a collection of (mostly linear) drabbles than anything else.
> 
> Main pairing is Toriko/Komatsu, and no real warning for anything.
> 
> also consider this whole thing dedicated to late night iridescence- who always fuels my bad crossover ideas (like the fact that im seriously considering doing an Ushio and Tora crossover too- dammit!)

Komatsu threw himself into his work again today- which wasn't to say that he usually slacked off, but this whole week he had just needed to lose himself in the hustle and bustle of the kitchen. Between preparing dish after dish and making sure that the rest of the kitchen was running smoothly and sending everything out on time, there was no time left for him to think about anything else. He worked hard, focusing on the feel of his kitchen knife in his hand, the slight, but bearable ache from being on his feet all day, and the strong smell of all different types of food being cooked in the same place.

 

Inevitably, night fell and the restaurant closed and the other chefs cleaned their stations and left, leaving Komatsu with just the building's cleaning staff. However, there was only so much stalling that he could do and after loafing around for an hour longer than he should have, he finally decided that he'd put leaving off long enough.

 

He stopped by his office one last time and grabbed his bag; hesitating for a second before opening it up and peeking inside. He snapped it closed almost immediately again. He knew that his reaction towards the little blue book- sitting innocently in his bag- was unreasonable, but he couldn't help it. He couldn't help but remember the feeling of the book in his hands and the glow of it as he'd read its first line of text just a few nights ago.

 

He also couldn't help but remember what had happened afterwards. Luckily for him, they had been at a park, late at night, so no one had been hurt. The only collateral had been a few trees and a park bench. Still, he tried to suppress a full body shiver at the memory before shouldering his bag and heading home.

 

He rode the bus back to his apartment and tried to convince himself that everything was normal as he went up the stairs. He opened the door to the small apartment with a certain amount of trepidation before peeking his head in the doorway. "Hello?" he asked, hoping against hope that there wouldn't be any response from inside.

 

Instead he almost jumped when a booming voice said, "Komatsu? What are ya waiting outside for? Hurry up and get in here!" Komatsu almost tripped over himself in his haste to follow the order, slamming the door behind him with more force than necessary. He slunk into the living room to see his not-quite-welcome guest sitting on the couch. Or rather, sitting probably wasn't the right word. Instead, he was lounging like an overgrown house cat; one arm tucked up beneath his head and lying sideways on the small couch as much as a man his size could. In the other hand was the remote control as the man lazily flipped through the tv channels, clearly not interested in anything that the late night programs had to offer.

 

And Komatsu- Komatsu tried to pretend like he wasn't there as walked past the couch, and into his bedroom to change into something more comfortable than his chef whites.

 

His house guest, Toriko, was, in no uncertain terms, a demon. Maybe not something out of a children's fairy tale per say, but he was a demon all the same, despite the fact that he looked quite human…

 

Ok, mostly human.

 

After all, most humans weren't seven feet tall with bright blue hair, scars on their faces, teeth sharp enough to rival a dog's and muscles bigger than the average person's head. But even without his size and appearance, Toriko would have been terrifying. Not only was he loud- he seemed to shout more than talk- but he was also forceful and demanding. Just a few days ago he'd shown up out of the blue, telling Komatsu that he was supposed to just drop everything and help Toriko become the king of the demon world since he was Toriko's 'book owner'.

 

Komatsu shivered again, hating the fact that he couldn't hide his own fear. Granted, if Toriko knew how frightened Komatsu was, he never mentioned it, but Komatsu knew that Toriko must have been frustrated with him. From the brief explanation that Toriko had given Komatsu that first night, in this fight to become the king of Toriko's world, they had to fight along side humans. But what about the humans who didn't want to fight? When he'd tried to ask that first night- just barely able to squeak out the question in the face of a man who'd clearly taken his participation as a given- Toriko had given him an almost blank look before sighing about how much of a pain all of this was.

 

Well excuse him then! Komatsu huffed as he changed and made up his mind, slapping his cheeks a little to build up his resolve. As it was, he didn't like the current situation so he had to do something about it- and he'd do it tonight. This had been going on long enough, after all. All he had to do was just tell Toriko that he couldn't fight with him and that the demon needed to find himself someone else to read his book for him and that was that.

 

With some new resolve and a do-or-die attitude, Komatsu marched out to his living room, his posture straight, and he stopped by the couch. "Toriko-san," he started, and-

 

And Toriko just barely looked at him, observing him like a cat might a rodent and Komatsu lost all of his nerve. But he couldn't just give up without a fight. "Toriko-san," he tried again. "I- uh… would you like something to eat?" was what finally came out and Komatsu sighed at his own weak will. He'd never been good at confrontation and it seemed like that wouldn't change any time soon.

 

Toriko, however, perked right up and Komatsu swore that he saw a little bit of drool there. "Of course!" he grinned. "I'm starved." Which wasn't surprising, considering the amount of food that Toriko seemed to be able to put away in a single meal.

 

So Komatsu just walked into the kitchen with his head bowed and sighed.

 

So much for that plan then.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Komatsu and Toriko's first fight doesn't go quite so well

For some reason, even after hearing about the fight for the title of Demon King, Komatsu hadn't really expected any actual fighting. Maybe it was because he was a peaceful person who'd never been in a fight himself, or maybe it was due to the fact that he was already deep in denial about this whole experience; after all, he'd spent the past week trying to ignore the giant demon who was steadily eating him out of house and home. Either way, he had never really expected to fight.

 

He didn't _want_ to fight!

 

Granted, since showing up just a few nights ago, Toriko hadn't really acted like someone in the midst of a dangerous battle. In fact, his casual demeanor seemed much more suited for someone on vacation than a hardened warrior.

 

However that changed all too quickly.

 

Komatsu, frustrated at himself for being unable to kick the demon out of his home, had retreated to his room for the night to focus on anything but the demon- in this case he turned to planning the specials for tomorrow's menu- when Toriko barged into his room less than an hour later, without even knocking. Komatsu, of course, jumped half a foot in the air and might have screamed a little as well. Toriko didn't even blink at his over-the-top reaction.

 

"Get the book and let's go." Was all Toriko said before ducking back down through Komatsu's doorway. Komatsu, still a little stunned, took a few seconds before getting up and following after the demon.

 

"Toriko-san? Where are you going? What's happening?" he'd shouted, not used to Toriko's sudden energy. Toriko, his fingers flexing and something close to a grin on his face, continued forward.

 

"I told you- get the book. There's someone here looking to fight. Unless you'd rather fight in your apartment?" Toriko suggested before leaving said apartment. Komatsu gaped at where the demon had been before running to grab his bag and the book. Although his body moved on autopilot, his brain was scrambling to deal with the changing situation. A fight? Now? But it was so late at night and he was in his pajamas! And he didn't even _want_ to fight anyone!

 

Still he found himself slipping on his shoes and almost tripping in his haste to get out of his apartment. He locked his door and ran down the hall to the stairs. Once he was on the bottom floor he looked around for Toriko behind the building and, for once, was glad for the demon's large and distinct figure. It made it hard to lose sight of him; although Toriko's long gait proved to be another problem, especially since the wooded area behind the apartment wasn't an easy place to get through during the day. By the time that Komatsu caught up to him, he was out of breath and his lungs burned.

 

Toriko slowed down just long enough to give him a once over before he snorted. "Just running that much has you out of breath already?" he shook his head and Komatsu's face burned at the rude comment. First Toriko had basically dragged him out of his house with no warning and now he was making fun of him too! It seemed like there was no limit to his rudeness. Komatsu was so caught up in his fuming that he didn't realize that Toriko had stopped walking until he walked right into the demon.

 

Komatsu fell back with a surprised gasp and when he looked up he saw another pair looking at them. Komatsu's eyes widened as he saw them- a man and a woman. They looked completely human? Was one of them really a demon? The pair, meanwhile, looked just as shocked to see them.

 

"What's going on here Barlo?" a woman who might have been around Komatsu's age, shouted at the demon. She reached into her bag and pulled out an orange book that looked identical to Toriko's blue book.

 

"How should I know?" the demon, Barlo, shouted back. "Shit! Running into one of the Heavenly Kings right away!"

 

Heavenly Kings? Komatsu paused at the term- What did that mean? Was that referring to Toriko?

 

He thought about asking, but, looking up at the man, Komatsu paused at the frown on the demon's face. He looked almost…disappointed?

 

"Ah man, you guys look even weaker than I had expected. I guess that I shouldn't have expected much from a pair who'd spent the last few hours just creeping around." Toriko sighed before flexing his fingers again. "This won't even be a fun fight." He gave them a smile- if it could even be called that, it had entirely too many teeth. Even if it wasn't been directed towards him, it sent a shiver up Komatsu's spine. It was so… feral and yet, it fit the man.

 

Meanwhile, Barlo and his partner got into a fighting stance and she snapped open the book, a bright light emanating from it. "Komatsu!" Toriko snapped in turn and Komatsu jumped. "Get the book already! What are you doing?!" He strength of the order left no room for Komatsu to disagree and he hurried to comply. His fingers fumbled at the bag's latch, but he was able to pull the book out of his bag and open it, but when it came time to read the spell, he couldn't bring himself to say the words glowing on the page. He was shaking too badly and his mind was a rush of thoughts and emotions and he had a sudden premonition that he was going to die here. That this ridiculous demon fight that he didn't want to be a part of was going to get him killed. Fear clamped around his throat like a noose and he couldn't force himself to read the spell. _He couldn't do it._

 

A shout rang through the air as the woman read a spell and the book's light increased for a few seconds. Toriko swore and grabbed Komatsu by the shirt collar and pulled him out of the way of the attack. Komatsu choked for a few seconds before Toriko let go of his shirt and his butt hit the ground. He looked back over to where they had been standing and saw a four deep gouges carved out of the ground about a foot deep and half a foot wide- an attack that definitely would have killed him had it hit. His shaking worsened and he felt like he might be sick. What was that? What was that? _What was that?!_

 

He flinched as he felt another stare aimed at him, and he could barely even look up to see Toriko looking down at him like Komatsu had just done something crazy. "What was that? Why aren't you reading the spells?" Toriko demanded, but Komatsu continued to shake, his mouth opened to say something, but he didn't know what would come out. What was he supposed to say?

 

Another spell rang out through the air and Toriko grabbed him and dodged again before dropping Komatsu even more roughly than the first time. The book slipped from his numb fingers and landed on the ground next to him. Komatsu didn't reach for it. He didn't look up to see the expression on the demon's face either.

 

"What are you doing?!" the woman shouted, surprise coloring her tone. "Why aren't you reading any spells? Are you underestimating us?" her book glowed brighter with her outrage but her partner calmed her down.

 

"Wait just a moment Carla-" the demon held up a hand. "They must have spells but it seems that the human isn't reading them. I haven't even seen a hint of a glow from their book. I wonder..." He cackled, suddenly emboldened. "What is this? Could it be that one of the Heavenly Kings has a defective partner?"

 

Komatsu flinched at the accusation and tried not to notice Toriko's aura glow even darker. He tried to bring his emotions under control but now he was definitely crying in addition to shaking, but he couldn't help it and couldn't stop. It was too much, everything was too much, and it felt like the world was ending. His lungs burned and Komatsu curled up into a ball and tucked his head between his legs- willing everything to go away if he didn't look at it.

 

He heard Toriko's muttered curse next to him before the demon declared, "Even so, I don't need any spells to defeat weaklings like you." The rest of the fight was a blur of sound and vibrations and attacks that seemed to shake the earth and left Komatsu curling up into a even tighter ball. He heard the book holder shout off spell after spell and heard Toriko's shouts of rage- or maybe it was of excitement, he just couldn't tell- and he felt the earth shake and he told himself again and again that none of the attacks were actually coming towards him. That he was safe- totally safe.

 

He finally heard twin screams, neither of them Toriko's, and everything died down quickly after that. Footsteps came his way, but Komatsu refused to uncurl out of his little ball. Toriko stopped by him for only a few moments before moving on, but Komatsu stayed there long after, trying to calm down and convince himself that everything was over. And it was wasn't it? He had lived hadn't he? And Toriko had proved that he didn't need him. Maybe he didn't need a human at all? That warm thought helped him recover sooner until he could breath without hiccuping or wheezing and until the tears and the shaking stopped.

 

He didn't know how long he'd spent out there collecting himself, but he knew that he couldn't stay out forever. It was cold and he was only wearing his pajamas after all. Plus he had to go back to his apartment eventually. With a low sigh he uncurled from his ball before looking around at the environment- immediately his nerves were back. It looked like a storm had swept the small area. Several trees were toppled and parts of the ground were totally destroyed. He knew that he would be dreaming of this scene and the destruction for weeks.

 

He looked around him before standing up. Toriko was long gone but Komatsu felt a little bit of hope at seeing that the blue book was gone as well. Had the demon really left him? Had he been so frustrated at Komatsu's breakdown that he'd just left, taking the book with him? Komatsu hoped so. He really, really did.

 

He made the slow walk back to his apartment, rubbing his arms to keep warm. He tried to keep himself from getting too hopeful in case he did see Toriko again. However, when he opened the door to his apartment, the demon was nowhere to be seen- and it wasn't like he could hide anywhere. Komatsu, not believing his luck, let out a shaky little laugh that turned just a bit hysteric. Was it really that easy, getting the demon to leave? Just have a panic attack mid fight?

 

He made his way back to his room and climbed into his bed, too exhausted to even change out of his dirty pajamas. If Toriko was really gone then he wouldn't have to worry about any more fighting. He could go back to his normal life again, right?

 

He fell asleep to that happy thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so I just have to say this, but Komatsu's not going to be into fighting for a while. probably not a long while, and this is mostly because i really want to show the difference between this fic's Komatsu and the Komatsu in the series. like, not in an OOC way, but in the fact that Komatsu, in the series, made the choice to follow after Toriko time and time again. Sure he was terrified of getting eaten/killed, but he was there because he chose to be, whereas in this fic there's not really a choice. So yeah, until he finds a reason to support Toriko, Komatsu'll dragging his feet in this fight.
> 
> In other news, i'm still deciding on demon/human partnerships. Granted, I probably won't go past the Kings (plus Rin) and some of the bishokukai, but yeah, I think that I'm going for a few... unusual pairs?


	3. The New Team

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the next demon/human pair is introduced

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, I didn't mean to leave this thing alone for a month but getting back into the swing of things at school was harder than I expected. Either way, I had fun writing this bit, but despite my best intentions to keep this thing at just short drabbles, it's slowly getting a plot. Hopefully, since I've started getting better at time management I can start putting out faster updates as well.
> 
> (just a side note about all of these pairs- one of my favorite things about zatch bell is the variety of relationships between demons and humans. For some humans, their demon is like a sibling to them, for others it was a child or grandchild or even something more romantic (and vice versa)- that being said, I'm going for a similar angle so if a pair comes off as strange to you, then hopefully it'll make more sense by the end)
> 
> (another side note about the time frame here- honestly I'm trying to give a good impression about how much time is passing but it's pretty much that it's roughly been 3 week to a month since the Demon king fight started, Toriko found Komatsu about 2 weeks after that and stayed with him for about a week, and it's been a week since 'their' first fight)

After a few long days cooped up in his apartment and away from the restaurant, Komatsu was starting to go a bit stir crazy. He was a chef after all, and going more than a few days without standing in the kitchen felt odd to him. While it wasn't that he didn't get days off- he was required to have a certain number of them after all- he just preferred working and being surrounded by his ingredients.

 

However, after all of the demon related stress of the past week he'd all but forced himself to take a few days off, lest he have a breakdown at work. Granted, the last few days had been spent worrying about whether or not Toriko coming back, and if he'd be attacked by anyone else in the meantime, so he hadn't exactly been resting but they were technically 'days off'.

 

Because of that, today he was determined to put his worries aside and do something other than sit around and fret. It had been a while since he'd done some shopping so he took a bus downtown to one of the higher end shopping centers. Granted, this wasn't his usual shopping place, since it was pretty pricy, but today he felt a little indulgent. He purchased several things, among them, a new black apron with a small pink penguin on the front, a sharpening set for his knives, and a bottle of nice wine- since Toriko had turned out to be a big fan of alcohol and gone through most of his.

 

He'd even stopped for a while to stare in awe at the shopping center's collection of Melk kitchen knives. They were insanely beautiful and universally acknowledged as the go-to-knives for many famous chefs- although they were much too expensive for his blood. Still he admired their unusual designs and the shine that ran along their dangerously sharp edges. While a part of him yearned for the day that he might be able to afford such a beauty, another part of him was satisfied with the knives that he already had. They might have been no match for Melk's high quality knives, but he loved them all the same.

 

Komatsu looked around a little bit longer before finally deciding to head back home. With his personal shopping done, he planned to ride the bus back to his apartment and then call his boss and tell him that he'd be fit to work tomorrow.

 

What stopped him was the sight of the strange woman walking back and forth outside his apartment complex. Her pink suit, especially, stood out, but her gesturing to herself like she was practicing a conversation didn't help his first impression either. Komatsu jumped a little as she looked towards him- taken aback at being caught staring. She walked over to him and leaned down a little, being taller than him in her red heels, before asking, "Hello- do you live around here?"

 

Wondering if she was selling something, he replied with a slow, "Yes?"

 

"Great!" she clapped her hands together with an amount of enthusiasm that seemed a bit strange for the situation. "Do you know a 'Komatsu' then?" she asked, pulling out her phone to read off his name. "I've been looking for him, but I was told that he had the day off. I need to speak with him and it's rather important."

 

"I'm Komatsu." Komatsu said with just the slightest bit of hesitation. Even if she was some sort of saleswoman, why would she be looking for him especially? Why not sell something online like most other products did? "Is there something I could help you wi- uh!" he shouted, almost dropping his bags when she whipped a camcorder out of her bag and pointed it at him.

 

"So you're Komatsu-san?" she asked, her smile wide. She practically radiated excitement. "It's good to finally meet you! Granted Coco-san didn't tell me much about you beyond your name and the fact that you were a chef, so I had to do a bit of digging and leg work to put the rest together myself. I know that this is rather sudden but Coco-san believes that we'll be allies in the future so that's why I came to find you- his fortunes have been all correct so far, you see." She spoke so quickly that Komatsu wondered if she wanted a response from him at all.

 

Trying to sort through what she's said, he focused on the term 'allies'. "What do you mean by allies?" he asked with a frown, resettling his bags in his arms.

 

That seemed to throw the woman off a little. "What do you mean? Allies in the fight for the Demon King, of course." She finally lowered the camera. "Coco-san said that Toriko-san-"

 

Immediately Komatsu drew back at the name. No, no he wasn't getting back into this or anything else involving that demon. He couldn't get drawn back in. "Don't say that name!" he snapped. He'd probably feel bad raising his voice at this stranger later, but he didn't right now.

 

The woman, to her credit, didn't react with more than a wide eyed look at the outburst- obviously more confused by his words than actions. "Wait, Komatsu-san, but you're a book holder right? I'm talking to the right 'Komatsu', right?" She half pleaded and Komatsu gave a reluctant nod. He was the person that she was looking for, and that was the problem. He didn't want to be a part of this fight, or any fight.

 

He said as much and the woman gave him a long look before the determined expression slid back onto her face like it'd never left in the first place, "Komatsu-san would you like to go to lunch with me?" She leaned forward and asked in an almost aggressive manner.

 

Komatsu, caught off guard by the sudden change in topic, couldn't answer in time. "I understand now that you're not fond of fighting, so we won't talk about that- just go to lunch with me please?" she said with a fired up look in her eyes that left Komatsu's resolve in pieces. All he could do was let out a sigh.

 

"Just let me put my stuff inside then."

 

00000

 

While Komatsu knew that this wasn't anything more than lunch, he still felt a little nervous. It had been a while since he'd gone and hung out with anyone that he didn't work with. Although the place itself had a very casual atmosphere that helped calm his nerves somewhat. The woman- Tina's- demeanor also helped ease his nerves somewhat since she was good at filling the silence with conversation. The reason as to why seemed obvious when he learned that her actual job was as a news reporter; or well, somewhere between a professional reporter and intern. While she did get paid for her job, she didn't have a lot of job security and it was often a hard fight for newsworthy topics. Usually she was just given the small stories- mostly featuring cooking segments and the newest 'hot' ingredients or recipes. Which she didn't hate- she was quick to tell him- but she just wished for bigger stories. Ones that had a bit more impact.

 

Komatsu in turn told her about his start as a chef and some of the stresses, and benefits, to the job. Whether it was dealing with younger- or older- chefs with egos bigger than their stations, or other restaurants trying to poach chefs. More times than not, the politics outside of cooking were downright chaotic, but it was a job that he wouldn't give up for anything.

 

Eventually he found himself relaxing a little more over the course of the meal; discussing with Tina instead the balance of the meal and what tasted best and what could be improved on. And true to her word, Tina didn't bring up the demon fight at all. Instead it was Komatsu who found the desire to talk about it building up.

 

Finally it just spilled out, "How can you be so calm?" he asked, interrupting Tina's story about the time that she'd been stuck interviewing a fisherman who obviously cut corners when selling his fish- and how she'd almost gotten into an argument with him about it while on air.

 

Tina paused for a second and gave him a serious look, not unlike the one that she wore on the air. "Ready to talk now Komatsu-san?" She asked, but Komatsu didn't want to just talk. He wanted to rant and rave, and Tina must have seen that because she just encouraged him. So he told her about all of it- his confusion and fear the first time that he saw Toriko, the horror of his first battle, and how hard it had been for him to even interact with Toriko, much less fight with him- and she didn't bat an eye.

 

Instead she told him, with the sympathy clear in her voice, "That sounds pretty rough Komatsu-san."

 

And it was like some of the weight had been lifted off of his shoulders. Between Toriko's anger and his own fear and worry, he'd pretty much made himself sick just thinking about that night over and over again. Komatsu had begun to feel like he was making too much of a big deal of everything- if humans were meant to fight alongside demons in this battle, did that mean that there was something wrong with him? Hell, that other demon he saw had had a human partner who'd hadn't hesitated at all. Was he really a defective partner? Was his desire to not fight that much of a burden on Toriko?

 

Just the simple validation from her words did wonders- even if the worries themselves were still there. Komatsu sank down in his seat. "So that's why I can't help you. I couldn't even help Toriko. Plus this whole fight's been nothing but trouble so far, and I honestly don't want to be a part of it anymore. How is it any different for you? If you don't mind me asking." He added the last part in a rush.

 

Tina, her expression softening a little, told him, "Honestly, before this the worst thing I'd ever done was fighting others for scoops and headlines. I never would have imagined being involved in anything as dangerous as this." She said with a nervous laugh as she recounted her first time meeting her partner. "Although Coco-san has helped me adjust to the quite a bit. He's so calm that it's infectious, even if he can be a bit… distant sometimes." She said with a rueful smile. "After all, at our first meeting he told me about all of my bad points with a straight face." Her tone and voice suddenly changed. "You're overly forward at times and many people find you off putting. While you often try and excel, your efforts more than often just leave you frustrated." She sighed. "Even now I can't say that much had changed."

 

Komatsu watched her expression with a frown and wondered what kind of person you'd have to be to do something like that. Even if had thought that Tina was strange his first time meeting her, he wouldn't have wanted to say anything like that. And to top it off, this man wanted to team up with Toriko as well. He wondered what type of person this 'Coco' was.

 

He wasn't sure that he really wanted to know.

 

00000

 

A dark haired man- several inches taller than most, and wearing a turban and almost skintight outfit- walked through the city, and drawing stares as he went; following landmarks until he came to the port where dozens of ships of various shapes and sizes were docked. Only one matched his premonition and it was a modest sized boat- just large enough for someone to live in with the name 'Tom' painted along the side of the boat.

 

Although, Coco thought, it must have been more than a bit cramped with a demon aboard as well. He paused just off of the wooden walkway that led to boat. While he was sure that Toriko knew that he was there already, the fact that the other hadn't come out yet made him a little cautious.

 

Coco jumped onto the boat and decided to make his presence known in a more obvious way. "Hello?" he called out as he walked around the side of the boat. His brown eyes scanning for any sign of the blue haired demon. "Toriko?" It didn't seem likely that the demon had left already, but there was always the slightest chance that his prediction was wrong- although it was usually never about 2 or 3%.

 

The demon stopped when he heard someone else on the deck- someone with footsteps that were too light to be Toriko. The man rounded the side of the boat with a more casual attitude than Coco would have expected from someone seeing a stranger on their boat.

 

"Yo, you're a friend of Toriko's right?" he held out a hand, "I'm Tom."

 

"My name is Coco." Coco said with his usual smile as he shook Tom's hand, "Is Toriko still on the boat?" he asked and Tom nodded. "Yeah, he's below deck. Just follow me." He said before turning and making his way back below deck.

 

He wasn't surprised to see that the boat was bigger than it looked- with just enough clutter and trash around to make the place look well lived in. He found Toriko, surprisingly enough, in the kitchen of all places. The demon looked much the same as the last time Coco had seen him. Although he was clearly sulking as he sat on the table.

 

Toriko looked irritable as Coco approached but Coco maintained his calm expression. "It seems like you're already facing some difficulties in this battle, eh Toriko?"

 

He remained standing, but Tom grabbed a beer from the fridge and left the room, calling out, "Make sure that you two don't break anything," as he left.

 

Toriko huffed and looked away. "Shut up, dealing with human is one thing, but getting lectured by other demons is too much." He huffed.

 

"How strange," Coco noted, with the slightest bit of sarcasm coloring his words. "You're always so charismatic, and now you can't seem to figure out how to deal with humans." Granted, if Coco was being honest, it wasn't surprising that someone as self-sufficient as Toriko might have problems relying on others. While he wasn't as bad as Zebra in the regard, he still wasn't good at it either. Coco looked in the direction that Tom had left as he spoke. "Although there does seem to be one human that you get along with."

 

Toriko shrugged. "Truth be told I'd rather have Tom as a partner than the one I have." He growled.

 

"And yet," Coco said calmly. "You know as well as I do that there's nothing that can be done about the partners that the book chooses. Just sitting here sulking does nothing," Coco said with a stern look. "And it's very unlike you."

 

Toriko responded with another annoyed huff. "So what? Now you're here because you were worried about how I was faring and wanted to check on me and my partner?" Toriko scoffed. "That's hardly something you'd worry about. Just come out and say what you really want Coco."

 

Coco didn't bother beating around the bush. "Well to be honest, I'd like an alliance. Not working together, per say, but I'd like to consider you an ally in this fight for King."

 

"Why the hell would you need allies Coco?" Toriko leaned forward, torn between dismissive and curious.

 

As a response, Coco held up three fingers. "Starjun, Tommyrod, Grinpatch- all three of them are strong demons and from what I've heard, there's been word of them working together." Coco added with a slight smile. "Granted, while they're definitely strong enough that they could get rid of most of the competition on their own, but if they did team up then it would be rather worrying.

 

"So while it might be a stretch to assume that they're teaming up already, I would still prefer to play it safe and assume that they have been in contact with each other."

 

Toriko, without changing his expression, asked, "So have you suggested an alliance with anyone else?"

 

Coco nodded. "When I met him about a week ago, Sani was somewhat rather against the idea, mainly because working together isn't his usual standard of beauty." Coco said, although there was that look in his eye that let Toriko know that he expected Sani to come around soon enough. "Although first to insure that you can even do anything in the future, you have to play nice with Komatsu-kun."

 

"Wait, who said that I was even planning on joining with you?"

 

Coco stood up without replying and Toriko shot him a 'what are you doing' look. Coco responded by tapping his finger against his turban. "I had a prediction earlier, you see, that my partner would be facing some danger soon, so it's best if I leave now. Come if you'd like but I recommend that you bring your book."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So yeah, Toriko's still a bit bratty here (but what can I say? Early Toriko was definitely a lone wolf type) but that should start to change soon.
> 
> And also Coco/Tina! Believe it or not, I actually have a reason for this (no really) Granted, they might not even be the strangest pair that I have in mind…
> 
> Anywho- I'll try and write again soon.

**Author's Note:**

> komatsu would be such an unwilling book owner though (at least in the beginning)
> 
> But yeah, I'm just planning to have a little fun with this. While it is based off of Zatch Bell and will have some of the same plot elements, it won't follow any big story line and it'll pretty much update whenever I feel like it (which will hopefully be often since I really do like this crossover idea)


End file.
